Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Week Past 08/21-08/27/06
Severe Storm
Driving home from work early morning Wed 08/23 at 5:35am was hazardous. Mother nature decided to dump its much awaited rain that early dark morning. I call it a deluge impeccably timed for the morning rush hour. Since I was going south which is opposite the direction of the morning traffic I had Highway 77 by myself with no vehicles to guide me in front. I could barely see the road. So I was going at 45-50mph on a 65mph three lane highway. My windshield wiper was at highspeed but I could barely makeout the lane dividers. Still I have lots to be thankful for. Thu 08/24 afternoon there was a severe thunderstorm warning. Tornado and hail as big as softballs came raining down. Fortunately it was not in our area but at Northfield (hit by hail) and Le Seuer (hit by tornado) . If that was the situation Wed morning ....A co-worker living in Northfield told me that the hail dug holes in their backyard like it's been aerated . Their roof and sidings were damaged. Two car dealership near their area will end up selling their new cars "hail damaged" if it's still sellable. I'm sure the windshields are cracked if not totally broken. And with hail as big as softballs those "dents" will be "DENTS".
Thu, the International Astronomical Union decided to demote Pluto to a second category. After "seventy six years of faithful service" as one newscaster said. So now we only have eight planets. There's a lot of updating to do. Nothing is permanent except change. How will that affect the astrological signs?
Baby Shower
After attending the evening mass at St. John Neumann in Eagan Sat, 08/26 W and I attended Belle's baby shower at Thomas Lake Park also in Eagan. It was my first time to visit the park though we usually pass by it along Pilot Knob Rd. It was a beautiful afternoon after a series of storm the past days. It was well attended and there were lotsa food. Unfortunately we had to leave early as I was scheduled to work overnight that day. It would have been nice to walk around the park and explore it. Top pic was the setting. Right pic is Belle at left (happy expectant mom) with Lynette, right, who'll be hearing her wedding bells this coming December. Second row pic are some of the guests and food on the table. Third row pic are some of the park's lakeview. Housing Project
Sun, 08/27 was the day W and I went to visit the construction site. We had an appointment at 12:00 pm with the contractor who would be installing the tiles at the master's bathroom. Coming home from work at 6:00 am, I had to get up at 10:30 am. It takes us about 40 min drive from where we live to the site. As shown top pic, the "white bands" in front of the house has been installed to break the monotony of a flat stucco finish. Second row, left, shows the main living room. Primer have been applied to the sheetrock (wall) in preparation for the paint job. Also shown are the door and window jambs and other wood planks for the finishing. Right pic shows part of the master's bathroom where the contractor will be installing the tiles. A thin layer of concrete has also been applied on the floor. After the inspection we decided to have the buffet at Mystic Lake...burrrp again...thank youRandom Notes
1. Gas Price. Enjoy it while it lasts...it went down to $2.67 in one of the gasoline stations we passed by on our way to the babyshower...the following day the gas station near us had their price at $2.69...hope it'll still go down barring any hurricane in FL and turmoil in the Middle East...
2. Blood Donation. Thu, 08/24 Red Cross (RC) caught me at home as I woke up from my "short nap" coming from work overnight. They asked over the phone if I would be interested in donating blood in their coming drive. The date she mentioned was iffy so I asked if they had anything going that day. Lucky for me they had one at Fairview Hospital, Burnsville. After about an hour I was at the site. Two old ladies were manning the registration table. When I told them I had an appointment done over the phone they were surprised. Then they started complaining about the staff at RC doing the phone calls without coordinating with them since they are already fully booked. But still they were able to find a way to accomodate me. I was just thinking about RC's capacity to accept donors when they do a drive. They are in need of blood desperately and yet they are not prepared to accept all the donors especially the walk-ins or those without prior appointment. I had one experience where as a walk-in they were not able to accomodate me as they were already booked for the day. It happened on the same site. But there are other locations where it's slow and you don't have to wait to be processed. Then again if you're not available on the date their doing the drive on that location you miss out. Statistical demand should be in order for proper staffing...I admire the RC staff who took my blood. It was clean. There was no bluish mark afterwards on the spot where she stuck the needle. Just the small mark of the needle. Neat and professional unlike...that's another story...
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Week Past 08/14-08/20
Random Notes
1. Daylights are getting shorter. I've noticed since working overnights. Leaving at 8:15 pm I now need to switch on the car's headlights. About two weeks ago that wasn't the case. There was still enough sun lighting your drive. Same as going home. It's still dark at 6:00am whereas before you could see the sun starting to peek. Winter is fast approaching. Ohh man. It'll be another 6-7 months of cold long nights-short days. I don't wonder anymore why people get depressed during these times especially if the day is bleak, gray and gloomy. Here's the situation: If you're not happy with your job but you have to work anyway because you need the money. Then you have co-workers who are rude and unfriendly because they are also not happy with their job and definitely having a bad day because their doing something they don't enjoy. You're barely making out on your pay. Add the weather. Now imagine, if you live by yourself, you go to work in a so-so environment and go home with nobody to talk to. You just have to GET a life or else....statistics show that depression and suicide is highest during winter.
2. Gas price this week went down to $2.77 from $3.05-$2.87, hoohah. Who would have known I'll be happy with that pricethree months ago. I'm also glad it's still summer. My car is at least doing 30-32 mpg. Come winter time this will drop to 25-27 mpg (it has to do with the temp affecting the gas and air mixture making combustion less efficient or whatever). At 32 mpg at $2.77 per gal would be $0.087 per mile compared to $0.102 per mile at 27 mpg. Or $0.87/10 miles compared to $1.02/10 miles. If you average about 1,000 miles per month thats $87.00 gas expense during summer compared to $102.00 come winter. Difference of $15.00/month or $180.00/year. In terms of Philippine Peso at the exchange rate of $1.00 to Php 51.00 that would be a whopping Php 9,180.00/year. Are you still with me? I'm just trying to mess with you. Bottom line. Small at it may seem, in terms of cents, the gas price fluctuation still adds up. It's a numbers game.
1. Daylights are getting shorter. I've noticed since working overnights. Leaving at 8:15 pm I now need to switch on the car's headlights. About two weeks ago that wasn't the case. There was still enough sun lighting your drive. Same as going home. It's still dark at 6:00am whereas before you could see the sun starting to peek. Winter is fast approaching. Ohh man. It'll be another 6-7 months of cold long nights-short days. I don't wonder anymore why people get depressed during these times especially if the day is bleak, gray and gloomy. Here's the situation: If you're not happy with your job but you have to work anyway because you need the money. Then you have co-workers who are rude and unfriendly because they are also not happy with their job and definitely having a bad day because their doing something they don't enjoy. You're barely making out on your pay. Add the weather. Now imagine, if you live by yourself, you go to work in a so-so environment and go home with nobody to talk to. You just have to GET a life or else....statistics show that depression and suicide is highest during winter.
2. Gas price this week went down to $2.77 from $3.05-$2.87, hoohah. Who would have known I'll be happy with that price
3. Sat, 08/19 went to the airport around 1:20 pm to pick up W. We proceeded to have late lunch. Tried out a new dimsum restaurant located at Bloomington right off 494 at Nicollet Ave named JunBo .Then went to check out the house construction site.
Work Front
Wed, 08/16 we were done doing pre count at the grocery side and started doing hardlines. Hopefully by mid of next week we'll be done and I'll be back doing my regulary shift. I've been averaging about 4-5 hours sleep. And that's not a deep sleep. I usually wake up every hour in between that 4 hour sleep during the day. Same as last time.
Housing Project
Housing Project
So after a late lunch Sat we checked out the construction project. The drywall or sheetrock have been installed. There were 2 workers at the site putting the finishing patches to make it look seamless (shown in one of the pics third row rightmost). Stucco finish have also been sprayed at the front exterior and front porch posts (top two pics) . The deck is almost done. And they have installed the screen at the three season porch which is not noticeable on the pic (bottom pic). W was surprised that they completed the sheetrock for the whole garage (third row leftmost pic). She thought it would only be partially completed or covered. The real estate agent said that construction might be done last week of September or first week of October. To date this will be the 15th week since I C Front
My brother just updated me regarding my niece's condition and her journey with the Big C. This week she had her "first cycle" with chemo. I thought this was like a once a week session. Turns out it's 4 days/5 hours per. So she needs to stay in the hospital for the duration of the cycle. He also told me two weeks before the treatment that "she had to endure the blood tests, two CTscans and a PET (positron emission tomography) scan". The oncologist assured them that it's curable. We just have to pray that it'll be true. And like my brother said just "continue to be steadfast in the Lord's sweet promise of healing".
Monday, August 14, 2006
High School Reunion
Better late than much later. I mean blogging this event for the record. Our batchmates in high school who are residing in the US had its third annual reunion. And as usual I was not able to attend for reason that...honestly... I ran out of reasons. Anyway, my good batchmate Jun A who sometimes think that it's worth his while to check on my blog was very kind enough to share (like I deserve it after failing to atttend the third time) some pics he took on that down memory lane gathering. The least I could do is post some of them in my blog to remind me of what I missed. Perhaps stir my dormant (I'm not sure if I had one) high school spirit to attend the next reunion.
If we're talking about the Filipino's diaspora our batch is an example. There were about nineteen who attended. One came from Australia, another from Geneva, of course the Philippines, and the rest from different parts of the US: Chicago, Virginia, CA, SF. We're not sure from MN and TX (perennial absentees, Ding are you there?).
As can be seen from the pictures everybody had a grand time. Thanks to Eden and her husband. Epitome of a very gracious and generous hosts from what I've seen from the pics and post thank you e-mail notes. The venue and accomodations for the weekend affair (starting Fri to Sun) was their residence or should I say mansion. You've come a long way Eden (so did our batchmates) from the street of New Orleans (was that also your tambayan?) in Cubao to the upscale neigborhood in CA. You were blessed because of your selflessness. Come to think of it, it just entered my mind and I digress. Our lives have improved and yet the places (eg. New Orleans st) where we spent our halcyon high school days have further deteriorated. It's a micro illustration of what our leaders have not been doing to improve the lot of our country. Ahh the epiphany. We should really be thankful to our high school teachers, even the mean ones, for their guidance and patience. Equipping us the stock knowledge that enabled us to enter prestigious universities (UP, UST, PMA, USMA...I should have just said UP and Others but I know others will kill me) that gave us the edge for better opportunities.I've digressed enough...'til next year.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Week Past 08/07-08/13
Birds
Mon, 08/07 I was mowing the lawn in the morning and noticed a bird, like a sparrow , hovering and circling around me. He? or she? was sometimes so close I thought it was going to attack me. It almost "bumped" into me not only once but twice when I suddenly changed direction. I thought the color of my clothes, drab gray shirt and black denim cut offs attracted it. Then I noticed that a bug or two in the lawn would flutter before the mower rolls to where they are situated. The bird was trying to catch them! If the bug fluttered low like shin or ankle high the bird usually missed it. But some would flutter knee or thigh high and you'd see the bird catch them. Neat. I just witnessed "live" nature at work: the predator and the prey. The birds must really be hungry flying that close or the insects are that delectable they can't resist it.
Work Front
So Mon I started doing overnights again in preparation for our store inventory end of this month. Matt the overnight guy is helping me out same as last time . I wasn't able to do my inventory Wed, 08/09 night. They had to rearrange some of the store's displays. The overnight associates had their hands full and I had to help them out. Thu, 08/10 Russ and Jane were assigned to help me. We decided to start our week Sunday night so that our hours will not overlap with the following week's hours. So we took Fri night off.
Home Front
Tue, 08/08 W told me that Keith and Lynette just locked in with the lender. So they are buying the house. I thought otherwise in my previous blog . I still say it's not final until we close. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Sat. 08/12 we had lunch at Culvers, Apple Valley before proceeding to Prior Lake. There were workers (Hispanics) installing the drywall when we arrived at the site. A lot has been done since last week. Photo top left shows poured concrete on the garage floor. Top right pic is the front porch also with poured concrete. Notice that the roof eaves has been covered. Mid left photo is the living room showing a worker installing the drywall. Yellowish objects in between studs are the insulation. Mid right photo is the half-finished deck as viewed from the 3-season porch. Bottom pic is another view of the deck as attached to the 3-season porch.
Miscellaneous
Fri, 08/11 I had my dental appointment for the periodic check up. They reminded me to use soft toothbrush so as not to harm the gums. The stroke should not be hard as it abrades the enamel. These also serves as a tip to my reader friends and the "read bys".
Sat after coming from the construction site we proceeded to hear the 4:30pm mass at St Michael's. We met Max's wife Eileen and their son Martin after mass. They invited us for a BBQ dinner at their home since Max's cousin, Jerry, who is visiting from the Philippines will be leaving the following day. The invitation was very much welcome.
Sun, 08/13 I drove W to the airport at 8:00 am for her 10:00 am flight to Arkansas. With the heightened alert most passengers are checking in early. The airport drop off point was busy. It has four lanes and three lanes were occupied by vehicles dropping off their passengers. Vehicles at the innermost lane can't exit immediately since they are now blocked by vehicles in the outer lane who can't wait to unload. I was also guilty but I did not park that long. Just dropped off W. Unlike others who took their time saying goodbyes. Normally it would only be two lanes at most. It reminded me of NAIA!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Week Past 07/31-08/06
C
The letter C stands for cancer and courageous. Fri, 08/04 my sister called from LA to give me the news, albeit a week late, that our niece Nicole was diagnosed with cancer. How it was discovered at an early stage is something that at first you will not say a blessing. She experienced extreme stomach pain that she had to be rushed to the hospital. Diagnosis: acute appendicitis. It had to be surgically removed the same day. The surgeon who operated on her also discovered a diffrent "mass" so an OB-Gyn was immediately consulted. Diagnosis: they had to take out her left ovary posthaste. The doctor said luckily its Stage I and it has not metastasized. But she has to undergo chemo for six months just to make sure. Ovarian cancer usually doesn't occur until you're nearing menopause or in menopause. Seldom does it occur when you're young or eighteen. She wanted to talk to the doctor and her parents agreed. They told the doctor to be open and honest with her. She only asked two questions: Am I going to die? Will I still be able to have a baby? No and Yes. Then she had her hair cut short in anticipation of the chemo. W and I were able to talk to her Fri evening over the phone. She was very calm and ever respectful punctuating her answers with a "po" and "ho". Talking matter-of-fact about her condition. Her one concern is she might put her studies on hold while undergoing treatment. A sophomore at ADMU, she's planning to take up law.
In a bad situation you must always look for something positive. A glimmer of hope in an otherwise disconsolate circumstance. I saw four: 1) The C was discovered at an early stage, 2) It has not metastasized; 3) I found my niece to be courageous and 4) Her Dad, my brother, is with them. Having been chosen by their company to be the project manager in the Philippines for two years as mentioned in my previous blog . God always gives us something to cope with. We just have to be discerning or we lose hope. I just have a request. If you happen to read this blog please include my niece in your prayers for her healing.
Potential Projects
It's been a busy week for W. Tue, 08/01 I drove her to the airport for her 9 pm flight to Arkansas for a potential project. A confrere coming from Portland will be taking the same flight. She came home Fri but told me they'll be flying back again Sun 08/13 for a week of due diligence. This is when they will ascertain if their company will be able to fill the needs of their potential client. Fri evening she had a dinner meeting with another potential client that was introduced by our friend Joe. Hopefully everything works out in their favor.
It's been a busy week for W. Tue, 08/01 I drove her to the airport for her 9 pm flight to Arkansas for a potential project. A confrere coming from Portland will be taking the same flight. She came home Fri but told me they'll be flying back again Sun 08/13 for a week of due diligence. This is when they will ascertain if their company will be able to fill the needs of their potential client. Fri evening she had a dinner meeting with another potential client that was introduced by our friend Joe. Hopefully everything works out in their favor.
Housing Project
W told me Fri that Keith and Lynette, who I mentioned in my previous blog , are having second thoughts about buying the house. They're asking if we could still lower the price. We know it's a buyer's market but you can only go so low otherwise you might as well give your house for free. Anyways we just have to condition our mind set that we'll end up just having the house rented. Wait out the slump in the housing market and hopefully in a year or two it'll improve. I honestly believe that they are getting a fair market value, a bargain even, because there's no realtor or middle man's commission fee.
Sat, 08/05 We went to the construction site. Major development: they filled the garage with soil and started grading it as can be seen from the first three pictures. Inside the house they have already installed the TV antenna at the ceiling and additional wirings, air ducts and pipes have been installed. Sun, 08/06 after dropping off W's staff at their hotel we went back to measure the distances of the wood framings. We also got to meet our soon to be front door neighbor Jim and his next door neighbor Jeff and Sandy. They happended to be outside their home so we greeted them and introduced ourselves. Sandy admitted that she was just done snooping into our house when we came. We told her she's welcome to look inside if she wants to.
Outlet
Sun. 08/06 W and I took two of her staff to 
